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Few marketers have been able to create a content strategy that was spot on from the very start. Those who have dabbled with digital marketing and still do so, know that it takes a lot of fine-tuning to create gripping content. One of the reasons is the harsh competition and another possible cause for failure is poorly done target group research. In fact, there are so many reasons why content strategies fail that it’s futile trying to describe them all.
Although you cannot control all the factors influencing content marketing, you can arm yourself with knowledge about the most common causes of failure. Once you successfully identify the problem areas, you will be ready to tackle all the issues that are preventing your firm’s content strategy from becoming a success. Here is a list of the 7 most common problem with content marketing and possible solutions to them.
What’s the point of content strategy?
Even the most voracious readers will start losing interest in the content they are reading if they deem it as pointless. Your content strategy needs to deal with the point of the content right away. The readership needs to know from the introductory paragraphs why the text and images are important to them and what they will gain from continuing to read.
For instance, if your content strategy is aimed at people who are eco-aware, then the content generated for them should contain advice on how to recycle and save energy. They will keep reading until the end because they hope to find practical tips on saving the environment. Every piece of content you include in your strategy needs to be relatable to consume’ desires, fears, interests, needs, and desires. The last thing you need is for the readers to ask themselves “why am I here.”
A large discrepancy between content expectations and KPIs
Tracking key performance indicators is a must for everyone involved in marketing, especially online marketing. However, not all marketing experts are equally ambitious, as some want to succeed badly. This generates unrealistic expectations from the content they work with. After a while, the content no longer measures up to KPIs and a gap is created.
In order to avoid this problem, there are two solutions. Firstly, if the quality of the content you work with is truly poor, then you should do your best to improve it by using more efficient apps and equipment to match the ambitions of your marketing strategy.
Secondly, the content could be top-notch and still fail because you are sending the wrong message. A reality check is never a bad thing for a good marketer and should be practiced often. You can use AB testing of your content, or ask someone outside of the marketing world what messages they are receiving from your content.
Dealing with the drive to sell
It is not a secret that the ultimate goal of a solid content strategy is to generate traffic that will generate leads that will finally turn into increased sales. However, the coming generations of Internet users and shopper are ever more intelligent, they will easily see through your strategy. If they figure out that your sole motivation is to sell a product or a service to them, they will be deterred from engaging with the content in question.
Once a potential client decides that your content strategy is spam and not worth their time, that strategy is doomed. Like we stated earlier, they need to have personal motivation to keep on reading and this is achieved through appealing, interesting, and educative content. If you veer into outright marketing like a commercial urging the population to “buy this or that,” then you’re finished! Try to keep the sales message covert, so users will not notice from the very start that they are reading just another boring ad.
Hitting the target
It is highly unlikely that a youngster will rush to open a text about adult diapers, so don’t bother including them in the target audience when you’re ordering that particular content. In reality, you want to clearly delineate a target group and tackle their needs, wishes, and desired with the right type of content. To do that, writing a content brief can be very helpful.
In order to properly set the target group, think if the people you are writing to care enough for the content you are offering them. Relatable content is the key to generating traffic and more than often you will be able to create leads as well, simply because people care about the info you are offering to them. A good example of solid targeting is an ad about whey protein displayed in a gym, and not in a ballet school where everybody wants to be skinny.
A thousand words
With all the ongoing hassle to get the reader to stay on the page to the end of the text, many marketing let the importance of visual content slip their mind. If a text is well written but the pictures are of poor quality or they aren’t uniform, you could expect less traffic. The image quality and style need to be consistent and you shouldn’t shy away from using Photoshop if necessary.
In fact, you can find various color schemes, overlays, and texture on websites like Sleekens that specialize in Photoshop and Lightroom resources. You don’t have to be a visual designer or an artist to go through one of these online tutorials in order to improve the visual appeal of your content. Remember, sometimes a good picture is worth a thousand words.
Following the trends
As you are probably painfully aware, things change fast in the marketing industry; what is hip today is out tomorrow. The shifting trends and consumer tastes don’t necessarily have to be a bad thing if you adjust timely your content strategy to them.
Therefore, staying up to date is essential and the best thing is that it’s not hard at all! Checking the latest news from the industry and scavenging top posts on competitor websites is not over time-consuming. Little detective work will prove valuable in your effort to notice repetitive patterns in content posts that you can incorporate inside your own marketing strategy.
Address the users in a language they can understand
Another possible reason why your content strategy might be failing is because of the language you are using. We are not suggesting that you translate our posts to German or Tamil but to switch to plain English. Regardless of the info, you provide the readers with, if the text is written using the industry’s jargon, then you risk a communication gap.
Plainly put (do you get the irony?), people need to understand what they are reading. Instead of using complex terms, like Aurora Borealis instead of the Northern Light, you should speak to end users in layman’s terms. It has been proven over and over that people are repelled by things they cannot comprehend.
By using Latin words and fancy vocabulary without any real need for it, you are basically saying to visitors: “You cannot understand this.” This is not a way to sell anything or even to establish a meaningful rapport with people. Adjusting the jargon and the tone of your text to the target readership means that you are giving them a sense of control. Once they read a simple and resourceful piece that is part of your content strategy, they will have learned more and they will become knowledgeable.
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Getting rid of textual surplus
Sometimes it is not the content or the fancy words you use that possess a treat to the success of your content strategy. The snare of using redundant, unnecessary, and meaningless phrases was true for all content creators at some point in time.
Phrases and words like “really,” “each and every,” or “at all times” are considered spam as they complicate sentences instead of making them simple. Since content writers and creators are more than often paid by the word count, they use filler words to boost their profits, leaving you to dabble with a text that is hard to read.
You want the textual content you put forward to the market not only to be readable but visitors need to glide to the last word of a blog or a web post. This is achieved by being concise and to the point, so users achieve faster the goal we spoke about earlier. Once they find out what the craved for, a feeling of thankfulness will set in and this is the time they make a purchase, proving your content strategy successful.
So, how to stop your content strategy to be a failure?
A well-tuned content marketing strategy will not necessarily be a success right away. As time goes by, you have to work on the quality of the content you produce in order to improve it and adjust it to market trends and target audiences. The key is never to give up and take a proactive approach to your company’s content strategy.
Once you start taking greater care about the type of content you share, you will witness a rise in traffic and subsequent leaks. It won’t be long before you get a tap on the shoulder from your boss because there has been a tangible rise in sales.
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